Relation of the consumptive use coefficient to the description of vegetation

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Abstract
Evapotranspiration from three reaches of the Gila River floodplain in Arizona was measured by the water budget during 1963–1971. Initially, the vegetation consisted of salt cedar and mesquite with densities of canopy ranging from 10 to 100%. The phreatophytes were removed from the study reaches in stages during 1967–1971. Perennial grass seed was applied but did not become established, and the postclearing vegetation was primarily annuals. Comparison of the evapotranspiration data from various reaches and comparison of data from before and after clearing required the application of an empirical equation. A consumptive use coefficient related to the description of vegetation was applied to an existing potential evapotranspiration equation based on macroclimatic observations. Initially, the vegetation description consisted of plant identification and canopy dimensions obtained by use of black and white aerial photography and ground measurements. In 1967, remote sensing in the form of color infrared aerial photography became available and densitometric interpretation was used to develop a spectral signature as the vegetation descriptor.